Cagliari director Pierluigi Carta reveals they tried to the last minute to convince Inter to sell Radja Nainggolan, but ‘had to let it go’ leaves the door open to trying again in January.
The Belgium international had already spent last season on loan in Sardinia and did not disguise he wanted to make the move permanent.
“We are very disappointed, as hopes really were high that we’d be able to close a deal,” revealed Carta during a press conference.
Cagliari director Pierluigi Carta reveals they tried to the last minute to convince Inter to sell Radja Nainggolan, but ‘had to let it go’ leaves the door open to trying again in January.
The Belgium international had already spent last season on loan in Sardinia and did not disguise he wanted to make the move permanent.
“We are very disappointed, as hopes really were high that we’d be able to close a deal,” revealed Carta during a press conference.
“On the evening of deadline day, (President Tommaso) Giulini’s phone rang and it was Inter. He was sure that he could find a solution, but after 15-20 minutes, he looked more upset and disconsolate than I’d ever seen him before, because he realised there was no way it could work.
“In the meantime, I got the all-clear from Napoli to sign Adam Ounas. The President tried to the last minute to get Nainggolan, but at the end of the day, we had to let it go.
“Cagliari must continue to exist as a club and stay in Serie A, so if we hadn’t stopped Giulini, perhaps he’d have offered more than we could’ve afforded to get Radja.”
The dream isn’t entirely over yet, though, as the January transfer window isn’t that far away.
“If the conditions are right, we will try again, but these are always complicated situations and we got the feeling Inter really didn’t want to let him go. The figures they were citing were simply out of our reach.”